KUNDUZ, April14, (Pajhwok News Agency) -The Sikh community in the northern province of Kunduz celebrated the religious festival of Baisakhi after 15 years.

The day is a holy day for the Sikhs and also marks the beginning of the New Year.

45 year old Arindar Singh Mustana who is one of the religious leaders of the Sikhs in Kunduz told Pajhwok Afghan News Agency that right now “6 Sikhs with families and twenty other Sikhs without their families were living in Kunduz.”

20 year-old Jageet Singh who had returned to Kunduz two years ago said that they had no security problem and could now celebrate their religious ceremonies freely.

KABUL, April 13 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Baisakhi, the religious festival of the Sikhs and Hindus which ushers in their new year will be celebrated in a special ceremony in Kabul, for the first time since the Taliban came to power.

The ceremony will be held in the Karte Parwan and Joy Sheer gurudwaras on Thursday.

The day also marks the anniversary of the founding of the Sikh religion.

Sikhs are followers of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the religion. There are six thousand Hindus and Sikhs living in Kabul, Kandahar, Ghazni, Nangarhar, Khost and Charikar provinces.

Anar Kali Hunaryar representative of Hindus and Sikhs in the constitutional Loya Jirga told Pajhwok News Agency: “Hindus are also participating in the festival but only Sikhs observe it.” A Sikh representative in Kabul, Otar Sing believes that this is counted as a holy day for the Sikhs.

He added: “on this day they recite from the Guru Granth Sahib before dawn and at the end of that they carry the holy book to the Gurudwara.”

According to Taraj Sing, a Kabul city resident, there are nine Sikh and Hindu places of worship in Afghanistan. He told Pajhwok News Agency: “we are also Afghans. Our religious ceremonies should be broadcast by mass media including Radio TV Afghanistan”.

According to Anahita, one of the Hindus living in Karte Parwan, they wear new clothes, cook various dishes and visit friends.